Lady Macbeth Biography Essay

A TEACHER’S GUIDE TO THE SIGNET CLASSIC EDITION OF

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S

MACBETH
LINDA NEAL UNDERWOOD

S E R I E S

E D I T O R S :

W. GEIGER ELLIS, ED.D., ARTHEA J. S. REED, PH.D.,

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, EMERITUS

and
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, RETIRED

A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classic Edition of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth

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INTRODUCTION William Shakespeare developed many stories into excellent dramatizations for the Elizabethan stage. Shakespeare knew how to entertain and involve an audience with fast-paced plots, creative imagery, and multi-faceted characters. Macbeth is an action-packed, psychological thriller that has not lost its impact in nearly four hundred years. The politically ambitious character
Shakespeare develops the impressive character of an ambitious lady Macbeth from a different story found in the Chronicles. The historical Macbeth reigned for 17 years and survived the battles which returned Malcolm to the throne: whereas, Shakespeare presents a series of events which speed to the conclusion of a Macbeth defeated and beheaded. King James Shakespeare enjoyed much support for Queen Elizabeth who encouraged the artistic efforts of her subjects during the creative Renaissance years. After her death, James VI of Scotland became James I, King of England, in 1603. Because James was considered the eighth descendent of the Banquo-Fleance line, Shakespeare "polished" the historical representation to present Banquo's character in a more honorable light. The Banquo of Holinshed's Chronicles is actually involved in the conspiracy to murder King Duncan. James produced the book, Daemonologie (1597), which provided ways to recognize witches as well as to defeat their spells. He was particularly concerned with the threat of witchcraft after several women were tried in connection with their selfacclaimed attempt to sink his ship during his wedding journey. These women claimed to have sailed "in a sieve" which Shakespeare uses in Act I, scene 3. (All three of the women concerned were burned-as were between 4,500 and 8,000 other supposed witches during that century.) BEFORE
Understanding how and why Shakespeare used language overcomes this stumbling block to comprehension. 1. Blank Verse#%—Except for a few scenes, Macbeth is written in blank verse, which resembles more than any other verse form the natural rhythm of spoken English. Read parts of the play aloud to illustrate how the language flows, how punctuation is used, and how rhythm is employed. Choose a line from iambic pentameter and read it with the flow of the rhythm, the accents of the stressed syllables, and the lack of end rhyme. I am afraid to think what I have done (II,ii) Play with the rhythm by reciting lines chorally or individually. 2. Varying the Verse#%—Students may understand the play better when they recognize how Shakespeare varies the verse to express meaning. For example, the language of the witches is in a choppier form of verse (IV,i), and the tension of the language used by Lady Macbeth during her famous sleepwalking scene (V,i) provides an interesting contrast to the more natural flow of rhythm in blank verse used in the greater part of the play. Out, damned spot! Out, I say! One: two: why, then 'tis time to do't. Hell is murky. Fie, my lord, fie! A soldier, and afeared? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our pow'r to accompt? (V,i) Compare the language variety in the play to background music used to portray